Nestled comfortably in the Old Testament, amidst all the accounts of the kings and rulers of Israel and Judah, is the story of a young king named Josiah. Who, you ask? Most of us haven't heard of him, but he was the greatest king in the history of Judah. (Better than King David, you ask? Well, he was a descendant of David, but David ruled over God's chosen people when they were a "united kingdom" (no, not THAT United Kingdom). The 12 tribes of Israel split after the reign of King Solomon, leaving two nations: Israel and Judah.
For the long version, check out 1 Samuel through 2 Chronicles. But to make a long story short, God's divided nations began to forget that they were the chosen people of God, called to live a certain way (as written in those first 5 book of our Bible today, called the "Pentateuch"). Kings were corrupt, the Temple was destroyed, and people worshipped idols. Fast-forward a few dozen years... keep going... there, now stop! Here's Josiah:
During his reign as the king of Judah, King Josiah decided to go on a cleaning spree - it was time to repair the Temple. During the massive clean-up one of the workers stumbled upon some dusty old documents. As it turned out, those documents were the Book of the Law - those first 5 books of our Bible, the covenant God gave his people under the leadership of Moses, way back when!
King Josiah had never before seen or heard the words from the Book of the Law. When he heard God's Word, he tore his clothes in sorrow - his nation had been living completely contrary to God's law for years and years. Immediately Josiah called together all the leaders of Judah, who then gathered the kingdom. The Law was read aloud and Josiah asked his people to promise to faithfully obey the Lord and live according to the covenant once again.
So... what does this have to do with us, you ask? Well, lots. Judah was a corrupt nation. They had stopped practicing their faith and honoring God for so long that generations had passed. This was a nation that had forgotten its roots, had forgotten that at the heart of their identity was a God who had rescued them from slavery and set them free to love, live, and serve.
Have you ever forgotten that you are a child of God? To be honest, I don't always remember. I don't always live like it, either. The fact is that we are claimed by the one true God, called to live a life of love and service, forgiven and redeemed! How often do you go back to God's book - not of law, but of love? If you were to read the story of Jesus today, would you react at all like Josiah - convicted by God's love and inspired to live differently? I hope I would. In fact, I think I'm going to give those stories a read-though right now...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
It was the strangest sensation. Driving into Steubenville was like driving into a ghost town. No one was there! There were buildings, but they were empty. Abandoned store fronts lined the downtown streets with boarded-up windows and unnecessary “closed” signs on the doors—anyone could see business had long since gone. In some areas there was a church on every corner, but where were the members? Perhaps the most notable thing was that I didn’t see a single operating bar or pub, however cheap corner markets were abundant.
The first day some of us made the trek up the hill to the house and former business of a man named Ishmael. Ishmael had quite a story—and quite a mess for us to clean. He had collected clothes and shoes for 15 years to send to refugee camps in Africa, his homeland, but could not afford the shipping costs when the time came. There the clothes sat, in his store, his house, and basement, just waiting. A truck driver by trade, Ishmael had been injured in an accident years before which left him unable to physically handle the work it would take to clean up his home. So there we were. Working with Ishmael was nice—he was grateful, he was kind-hearted, and he helped us in any way he could. His positive energy helped motivate us to keep working, bag after bag, even when the pile of clothes looked to be regenerating instead of diminishing. By the end of our two days with Ishmael we hadn’t completed bagging up all the clothes, but we had cleaned up most of the ground floor. We would have liked to have seen the project completed, but that will be someone else’s joy to do in the weeks to come.
We spent another day pulling up weeks at a playground. Not many of us had any previous gardening experience, but we attacked the unwelcome plants with gusto. Now this was satisfying! What a joy it was to see a project completed. Not to mention the satisfaction that comes with ripping a whole weed out of the ground. Or taking a rake and just wailing on the ground. In any case, it was a nice project. We didn’t meet anybody from the community at the park, but it was nice to know that someone might enjoy the hard work we had done.
Our other project, well, we weren’t so sure we were appreciated.
On Tuesday afternoon we were told that we would be picking up trash in one of the neighborhoods. I thought to myself, “Okay, shouldn’t be too bad. It’ll be nice to brighten up a community.” Then we got there. Sure, it felt okay at first, but after picking up the 300th cigarette butt I started to feel a little miffed. As the afternoon progressed I just got more and more annoyed. I absolutely hated our project.
There are a few things you should understand about Tuesday – 1) No one from Steubenville was there to help us pick up trash. A community leader – the president of the community development coalition – was with us, but not a single resident came out to help. 2) There was trash everywhere. Everywhere. You learn a lot about a town when you pick up their trash. The candy of choice? Sour Patch Kids. Favorite thing to smoke? Swisher Sweets. Popular past-time? Meth production, sales, and use. (Don’t worry – we didn’t touch anything drug-related...) 3) This garbage surrounded homes and littered the sidewalks and curbs. There was trash surrounding a garbage can, but no trash in the can itself. Hardly anyone was taking ownership of their garbage! 4) Volunteer groups did this every week. Every week.
What’s more, more people just didn’t seem to care. Kids on bikes called our group “lame,” and people sitting on their front porches watched us with indifference. To be fair, a few people walking by or driving past paused to thank us. That was nice. But for me, it was too little, too late. I was mad.
The woman in charge told us when residents see us picking up trash it makes them think. They’ll feel guilty, she said, and start to take ownership. Or they’ll feel nothing and see people come in week after week to clean up after them, I thought. We’re not helping, we’re enabling.
Tuesday left a bad taste in my mouth, and my mood was all the worse for it. Steubenville was a city with little hope. Others could feel it too, this sense of indifference from the people we saw. Even the Youthworks staff seemed burnt out, like they were running on fumes. What was it about this place? Those who could, left as the steel industry went under in the 1980s. The population decreased by half, and those who remained did so mostly because they had nowhere else to do. Nowhere else to work. No money with which to move. And now there they are. In Steubenville. On their porches in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, taunting volunteers who come to clean up their mess.
It was the first time on a mission trip where I could not for the life of me think of or feel our mission. Youthworks tells us to “Be like Jesus,” but why bother if no one cares?
It was Wednesday before it dawned on me – that is what being like Jesus is all about. It’s grace.
The people who didn’t care that we were there—the people who called us “stupid” for being there—they received our help anyway. We smiled and we continued to pick up their trash. The children with attitudes at Kids Club, they received our love anyway.
It’s so contrary to the way our world works today. Meeting ungratefulness with loving service, who does that? Our minds were telling us that the kids were ungrateful and the neighborhoods weren’t worth our time. If they weren’t going to help themselves, why should we? If they weren’t going to appreciate our help, why keep at it? Even though no one went into the week expecting to get anything from anyone we met, I think we all assumed a “thank you” would have been nice!
Does Jesus ask for a “thank you?” Does Jesus look at us and say, “Well if they aren’t going to help themselves, I sure as hell won’t?” No. Jesus loves unconditionally and Jesus saves unconditionally. God’s grace reaches farther than we can imagine and it is never ceasing. Yes, we should respond with gratitude and with action, but we don’t always. God’s grace still keeps coming.
Yeah, it would have been nice if people helped us clean up their garbage, but they didn’t. We were there anyway, and more people will be there next week, and the week after that. Just like God’s grace. It’s there when we don’t want it, it’s there when we don’t appreciate it, and it will be there when we realize just how badly we’ve needed it all along.
It’s not easy being the hands and feet of God’s work. It’s not glamorous. It’s not always appreciated. But it’s what we are called to do. That was our mission.
The first day some of us made the trek up the hill to the house and former business of a man named Ishmael. Ishmael had quite a story—and quite a mess for us to clean. He had collected clothes and shoes for 15 years to send to refugee camps in Africa, his homeland, but could not afford the shipping costs when the time came. There the clothes sat, in his store, his house, and basement, just waiting. A truck driver by trade, Ishmael had been injured in an accident years before which left him unable to physically handle the work it would take to clean up his home. So there we were. Working with Ishmael was nice—he was grateful, he was kind-hearted, and he helped us in any way he could. His positive energy helped motivate us to keep working, bag after bag, even when the pile of clothes looked to be regenerating instead of diminishing. By the end of our two days with Ishmael we hadn’t completed bagging up all the clothes, but we had cleaned up most of the ground floor. We would have liked to have seen the project completed, but that will be someone else’s joy to do in the weeks to come.
We spent another day pulling up weeks at a playground. Not many of us had any previous gardening experience, but we attacked the unwelcome plants with gusto. Now this was satisfying! What a joy it was to see a project completed. Not to mention the satisfaction that comes with ripping a whole weed out of the ground. Or taking a rake and just wailing on the ground. In any case, it was a nice project. We didn’t meet anybody from the community at the park, but it was nice to know that someone might enjoy the hard work we had done.
Our other project, well, we weren’t so sure we were appreciated.
On Tuesday afternoon we were told that we would be picking up trash in one of the neighborhoods. I thought to myself, “Okay, shouldn’t be too bad. It’ll be nice to brighten up a community.” Then we got there. Sure, it felt okay at first, but after picking up the 300th cigarette butt I started to feel a little miffed. As the afternoon progressed I just got more and more annoyed. I absolutely hated our project.
There are a few things you should understand about Tuesday – 1) No one from Steubenville was there to help us pick up trash. A community leader – the president of the community development coalition – was with us, but not a single resident came out to help. 2) There was trash everywhere. Everywhere. You learn a lot about a town when you pick up their trash. The candy of choice? Sour Patch Kids. Favorite thing to smoke? Swisher Sweets. Popular past-time? Meth production, sales, and use. (Don’t worry – we didn’t touch anything drug-related...) 3) This garbage surrounded homes and littered the sidewalks and curbs. There was trash surrounding a garbage can, but no trash in the can itself. Hardly anyone was taking ownership of their garbage! 4) Volunteer groups did this every week. Every week.
What’s more, more people just didn’t seem to care. Kids on bikes called our group “lame,” and people sitting on their front porches watched us with indifference. To be fair, a few people walking by or driving past paused to thank us. That was nice. But for me, it was too little, too late. I was mad.
The woman in charge told us when residents see us picking up trash it makes them think. They’ll feel guilty, she said, and start to take ownership. Or they’ll feel nothing and see people come in week after week to clean up after them, I thought. We’re not helping, we’re enabling.
Tuesday left a bad taste in my mouth, and my mood was all the worse for it. Steubenville was a city with little hope. Others could feel it too, this sense of indifference from the people we saw. Even the Youthworks staff seemed burnt out, like they were running on fumes. What was it about this place? Those who could, left as the steel industry went under in the 1980s. The population decreased by half, and those who remained did so mostly because they had nowhere else to do. Nowhere else to work. No money with which to move. And now there they are. In Steubenville. On their porches in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, taunting volunteers who come to clean up their mess.
It was the first time on a mission trip where I could not for the life of me think of or feel our mission. Youthworks tells us to “Be like Jesus,” but why bother if no one cares?
It was Wednesday before it dawned on me – that is what being like Jesus is all about. It’s grace.
The people who didn’t care that we were there—the people who called us “stupid” for being there—they received our help anyway. We smiled and we continued to pick up their trash. The children with attitudes at Kids Club, they received our love anyway.
It’s so contrary to the way our world works today. Meeting ungratefulness with loving service, who does that? Our minds were telling us that the kids were ungrateful and the neighborhoods weren’t worth our time. If they weren’t going to help themselves, why should we? If they weren’t going to appreciate our help, why keep at it? Even though no one went into the week expecting to get anything from anyone we met, I think we all assumed a “thank you” would have been nice!
Does Jesus ask for a “thank you?” Does Jesus look at us and say, “Well if they aren’t going to help themselves, I sure as hell won’t?” No. Jesus loves unconditionally and Jesus saves unconditionally. God’s grace reaches farther than we can imagine and it is never ceasing. Yes, we should respond with gratitude and with action, but we don’t always. God’s grace still keeps coming.
Yeah, it would have been nice if people helped us clean up their garbage, but they didn’t. We were there anyway, and more people will be there next week, and the week after that. Just like God’s grace. It’s there when we don’t want it, it’s there when we don’t appreciate it, and it will be there when we realize just how badly we’ve needed it all along.
It’s not easy being the hands and feet of God’s work. It’s not glamorous. It’s not always appreciated. But it’s what we are called to do. That was our mission.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Packed and ready to go... almost.
Our yearly mission trip is fast approaching and I have been working tirelessly this week to make sure we have everything we need for a great week. Paperwork handed in - check. First aid kits stocked - check. Emergency contact information for parents - check. Binders for leaders - check. I'm sure if you're going on the trip you've also got your own checklist of things to do before Sunday at 5am!
With all the preparation for the trip I may have forgotten one little thing - preparing my heart for a week of service and learning about how I can better love God and God's creation! If anyone else is anything like me, this may have been left off your to-do list as well.
A mission trip is an intense experience. Living with 70 other people, sharing bedrooms and bathrooms and dining rooms and pretty much everything else except for the bathroom stall. Waking up early, staying up late. Five-minute showers at 4:00pm. Long mornings and afternoons full of work projects. And what's that smell? (Hint: it's probably you.) It's understandable that this can be an overwhelming experience!
But you're here for a reason - and it's to change your heart. Yes, you're here to make a difference and to help out. You will meet amazing people. You will hear incredible life stories. You will paint a house. You will clean up a park. You will serve food for the hungry. But more important than the things you are doing is the way you are opening yourself up to feeling and doling out God's love in a new place and in new ways.
How open is your heart? Are you open to making new friends? Are you open to sitting next to someone different than you, from somewhere different, who might dress differently, who might smell differently, who might live differently? Are you open to seeing Jesus in the face of every single person you come across? Because that's where Jesus lives, you know. Not just in you, but in me, too, and in every single one of us. Is your heart open to that?
This week we will focus on the verse from John 3:30: Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
What does that mean to you? How will you make Jesus more important this week, and yourself less? Pray that God will open your heart and work through you to love those you come across. Don't forget - add that to your to-do list!
See you Sunday...
With all the preparation for the trip I may have forgotten one little thing - preparing my heart for a week of service and learning about how I can better love God and God's creation! If anyone else is anything like me, this may have been left off your to-do list as well.
A mission trip is an intense experience. Living with 70 other people, sharing bedrooms and bathrooms and dining rooms and pretty much everything else except for the bathroom stall. Waking up early, staying up late. Five-minute showers at 4:00pm. Long mornings and afternoons full of work projects. And what's that smell? (Hint: it's probably you.) It's understandable that this can be an overwhelming experience!
But you're here for a reason - and it's to change your heart. Yes, you're here to make a difference and to help out. You will meet amazing people. You will hear incredible life stories. You will paint a house. You will clean up a park. You will serve food for the hungry. But more important than the things you are doing is the way you are opening yourself up to feeling and doling out God's love in a new place and in new ways.
How open is your heart? Are you open to making new friends? Are you open to sitting next to someone different than you, from somewhere different, who might dress differently, who might smell differently, who might live differently? Are you open to seeing Jesus in the face of every single person you come across? Because that's where Jesus lives, you know. Not just in you, but in me, too, and in every single one of us. Is your heart open to that?
This week we will focus on the verse from John 3:30: Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
What does that mean to you? How will you make Jesus more important this week, and yourself less? Pray that God will open your heart and work through you to love those you come across. Don't forget - add that to your to-do list!
See you Sunday...
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